Gerald Henderson
Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson Sr. (born January 16, 1956) is an American retired basketball player. He was a combo guard who had a 13-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1979 until 1992. He played for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, and Houston Rockets. Henderson was born in Richmond, Virginia and attended Virginia Commonwealth University.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 16, 1956 Richmond, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Huguenot (Richmond, Virginia) |
| College | VCU (1974–1978) |
| NBA draft | 1978 / Round: 3 / Pick: 64th overall |
| Selected by the San Antonio Spurs | |
| Playing career | 1979–1992 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 43, 15, 7, 12, 10, 9 |
| Career history | |
| 1978–1979 | Tucson Gunners |
| 1979–1984 | Boston Celtics |
| 1984–1986 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1986–1987 | New York Knicks |
| 1987–1989 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1989 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1989–1991 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1991–1992 | Houston Rockets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,773 (8.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,453 (1.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,141 (3.6 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Henderson is best known for his steal of a James Worthy pass to score a game-tying layup in Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime. In a post-game interview, Henderson said that "For a minute I could hear Johnny Most going, 'Henderson steals the ball!'", in reference to Most's famous call of John Havlicek's steal in the 1965 Eastern Conference finals. What Most said though was "And there is a steal by Henderson. A great play by Henderson".[2] Henderson also made the last second layup that sealed the victory in Game 4 of the 1990 NBA Finals for the Detroit Pistons.
In the fall of 1984 Henderson was traded to Seattle for the Sonics' first round pick in 1986, which the Celtics would use to draft Len Bias.[3]
As of 2006, he and his wife run a real estate business in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Their son, Gerald Henderson Jr. was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association in the 2009 NBA draft.
In 2012, Henderson was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.